Ronnie Coleinger: A Winter Collection

by Coleinger, Ronnie

  As Rebecca sat quietly thinking about what Blacky had just said, she heard the sound of his heavy purring. The sound calmed her emotions and she slid back into the comfort of the rocking chair. Once she was comfortable she said, “Blacky, will you sleep near my bed tonight? I am in need of a friend to help fend off the dreams of burning alive in that awful fishing boat.” Blacky spoke to Rebecca and said, “Relax my friend; you have nothing to fear while here on this mountain. You are under the protection of the Seines. Nothing will harm you or disturb your sleep this night.”

  Monique stepped out onto the porch carrying another coffee cup and a small percolating coffee pot. She sat the pot down on the table and then sat down on a wooden bench. She asked Rebecca if she could use a refill of her coffee and then realized that her guest had wet tear tracks down her cheeks. Rebecca smiled and slid her cup towards Monique and said, “Thanks, I might as well drink coffee, I certainly will not sleep this night.” Monique poured both cups full of steaming coffee and then asked, “What may I ask is troubling you, Rebecca? Are you in pain? Has that old black cat upset you with its incessant chatter?”

  Rebecca turned to Blacky and said, “Blacky and I were having a nice chat. The tears just seem to appear for no good reason since my accident. I have nothing to cry about; I am sitting on the most beautiful mountain I could ever imagine and conversing with new friends that I truly adore. The only fear I have in my life is that my nightmares of burning alive in a boat will be relived again tonight, however, Blacky has assured me that I will sleep most peacefully here on this mountain.”

  ***

  When Rebecca’s eyes popped open, the sound of a loudly purring cat beside her head made her giggle. She rolled over on her side and looked into Blacky’s eyes. She said, “Thank you for sleeping with me last night. I slept well under your watch.” Blacky yawned and then said, “I suppose you say that to all the males you discover in your bed.”

  As Rebecca looked around the room where she had spent the night, she realized that someone was up and had put the coffee pot on to perk. She quickly dressed and headed out to the kitchen to pour a cup of the sweet elixir she smelled. As she pulled back the curtain to her room, she realized that some magical barrier prevented her from hearing the sounds of breakfast in progress, but once she stepped through the curtain, the sounds and smells permeated her senses.

  As she walked towards the table, Ginger spoke to her and said, “I sent the smell of coffee into your room to wake you gently, it appears the method worked.” Rebecca stepped up to Ginger and hugged her. Ginger giggled and said, “I will wake you with the smell of coffee every morning if I get hugs in return.”

  As everyone cooked and ate their breakfast, they discussed the fishing trip they had planned for the next two days. Rebecca slid the two hens’ eggs she had cooked in a cast iron skillet onto her plate and spoke to Natalie. She said, “I brought my backpack and bedroll, a rifle and everything I might need for spending a few nights in the woods, but I did not think to bring a fishing pole. If I could borrow a few hooks I can fashion a pole from a small branch off that willow tree out back.” Natalie giggled and said, “I can do better than that. I have three fishing poles and you can borrow one of them. I also have lots of hooks and sinkers, so we can share those as well.”

  The girls began packing up their camping equipment and checking their rifles. Then they stepped out to the back porch. As they hoisted their backpacks onto their shoulders, Ginger slid her backpack off her shoulders and sat it back down on the porch. Then she said, “Sorry girls. I need five more minutes before I can travel. Nature calls.” Rebecca giggled and said, “I can tell. I was hoping that odor was not emanating from my body.” Ginger held up her index finger to Rebecca as she walked towards the outhouse. Rebecca turned to Monique and said, “I hope I did not offend my new friend with my comment.” Monique laughed and said, “Ginger will be your best friend when she returns. The girl has a thick hide. A little teasing will not destroy your relationship. However, keep in mind that paybacks are certainly in order.”

  When Ginger returned and hoisted her backpack onto her shoulders, she stepped up close to Rebecca and asked, “Better now? I did not intend to offend you but I farted before I could walk away from you. Sorry for that.” Rebecca giggled and said, “You are forgiven. I have had that happen to me a few times and I was very embarrassed. I am sorry to have made comments that made you feel worse.”

  As the girls began walking, Blacky joined them. He walked along behind the girls, paying careful attention to the scent of a black bear in the area. As he sniffed the air, Monique also caught wind of the creature. She stopped walking and turned around to the others who followed her. She saw Blacky step off the trail and wander into the forest. Monique put her finger over her lips, indicating to the others to remain quiet for a moment. Natalie, Ginger and Rebecca unslung their rifles from their shoulders and insured they had a live round in the chamber of each weapon. As they stood on the path waiting for Blacky to return, Monique spoke to her friends and said, “Blacky just told me that the bear has run off into the forest with her two cubs close behind.” Monique listened another moment and then said, “Blacky says we can safely continue on towards the river.” The girls removed the shells from the chamber of their rifles and continued down the trail.

  By the time the group managed to descend the steep rocky mountain trail down to the river, they were all tired. Natalie commented that they should set up a small camp and gather firewood before doing any fishing. Monique looked around and realized that Natalie was correct, the sun would soon slide over the mountain to their west and the forest would become dark in an hour or so. With the presence of bears in the area, having a small camp with a large fire would be imperative. Blacky would warn them of any creatures that entered the area, but keeping a clean camp, hanging their food, and not cooking or cleaning fish around camp would help keep the bears at bay. In the morning they would create a kitchen down near the river, tonight they would simply make sandwiches. Ginger placed a flat rock beside the fire and raked some hot coals up around it. When the rock was hot, she placed some of the venison meat on the rock to warm. When the meat was hot, they each made a sandwich with the meat and some goat cheese on homemade bread. When supper was over, Ginger rolled the rock over into the fire to burn away any remaining venison scent.

  As they all sat around the fire, Blacky joined them. Monique placed some of the warm meat on a clean stone and rubbed his back as he enjoyed the flavorful delicacy. He had earned his supper by warning them of the bear and keeping it away from the camp. Blacky was quite capable of fending for himself in the forest, and he often did just that, but the girls did not like him consuming fresh killed meat. They feared he would get worms or ingest some deadly parasite or virus.

  As the troop woke in the morning to a beautiful sunrise, they heard the sounds of the forest invading their tiny campsite. Every animal and bird in the forest seemed excited over the bright red sun that tinted the forest vegetation to a strange shade of red.

  Rebecca was the first to unzip her tint flap and immerge out onto the dew-dampened forest. She quickly set herself to building a fire to cook a morning meal. They would make oatmeal and warm more of the venison they had packed in. Rebecca hoped the bears would keep their distance until they had time to prepare a proper kitchen, somewhere away from the campsite; somewhere where the presence of a bear would not endanger them.

  As Ginger stirred the oatmeal over the fire, Rebecca slung her rifle over her shoulder and headed down towards the river. She needed to find a secluded place to make a toilet, yet needed to remain a fair distance from the river. As she walked, she found a tree that had fallen over. She inspected her surroundings, dropped her pants, sat down on the fallen tree and did her business. As she sat, she could hear the sounds of the river below her and the sounds of a pair of squirrels running around in the underbrush quite near to her. As she rose to pull up her pants and tuck in her shirt, a partridge exploded into flight from a tr
ee branch directly over her head. She instinctively ducted down and grabbed her rifle, then giggled aloud as she realized she was in no danger. She had simply disturbed a nervous bird.

  When Ginger returned to camp, Monique smiled at her and said, “The bird was as frightened as you were.” Ginger looked into Monique’s eyes, wondering how she knew about the bird. Then she realized that Monique had been watching over her while she was alone in the forest. She stepped up to Monique and said, “Thanks for watching out for me. It is a comfort knowing that I am no more than a spoken word from your protection.”

  Natalie and Ginger finished their breakfast and headed down to the river to begin fishing. They hoped to fill their limit and then take the fish back up the steep trail to their cabin. There, they would clean the fish and hang them in the smoke house before returning to the river to join the others before dark. If Rebecca, Sally and Charles caught fish, they would hang them high in a tree to keep them from the animals. Since Natalie and Ginger were the youngest in the group, they would take the heavy loads of fish up to the cabin the following morning.

  Rebecca had caught two fish within an hour of arriving at the river. She slid the stringer through their gills and then tied the stringer to a tree that hung out over the river. As she baited her hook for another cast, she saw a man on the other side of the river; he was also fishing. When he looked up and saw Rebecca, he spoke and tipped his hat to her. Rebecca giggled and struck up a conversation with him as they fished from opposite sides of the river.

  As Rebecca and the man she met on the river (who went by the name of Joseph) talked, Blacky spoke to Monique and said, “If you listen carefully, you will hear Rebecca talking to a man she met while fishing. I do believe they have found some common ground. Rebecca seems infatuated with the gentleman.” Monique stood looking down at Blacky, thinking about what he had said, and trying to overhear the conversation between the two. She listened carefully and then found the human voices floating in the wind. She listened for a minute or two and then told Blacky that Rebecca was more than just infatuated. The man had just asked her to camp with him tonight. He had made camp a few hundred yards south of where they had made camp and Rebecca had agreed to join him. Monique giggled and said, “She is on her way here right now to pack up her tent and gear. She had no fear of spending the night with this stranger.” Blacky said, “I will join them tonight to insure that Rebecca remains safe with this man, however, my senses tell me that he is a good man and will not harm her. He may seduce her, but he will not harm her.”

  About three minutes later, Rebecca entered camp; however, she was not alone. The man she had met was following her. The two of them stepped up to the fire to warm their hands and Rebecca introduced Joseph to Monique. While Rebecca packed up her gear, Joseph talked to Monique and explained that he was on a three day camping trip and decided to fish for his supper tonight. He said that he was presently living at a hotel until he found a place to purchase. The state had condemned his prior home and torn it down to make room for the new highway and casino. The state paid him for his home, but only gave him a fraction of its true value. Now he needed to make a wise investment with the money. If he did not invest it soon, the state would consider the money taxable and he could lose much of it, even though they had already robbed him once by not paying him market value for the property.

  Once Rebecca had her camping gear packed up, she hoisted her backpack onto her shoulders and then stepped up to Monique. She said, “Thank you for inviting me to visit you and for allowing me to accompany you on this fishing trip. I am very grateful for your friendship and hospitality. If you are in town for any reason, please stop by the cabin and spend some time with me. I would love your company. I will stop by tomorrow and say goodbye to the rest of my friends before I begin my trip back to the city. Again, thank you for being my friend.” Monique hugged Rebecca and said, “We will see each other often. Please be watchful of the predators roaming the forest.” Joseph cleared his throat and said, “I hope I am not considered one of those predators. I promise to keep Rebecca safe.” Rebecca giggled and said, “If you wish to take me as your prey. I will hold very still while you do so.” Monique laughed as she swatted Rebecca on the shoulder and said, “You two had better get going. You still have to hike back to the bridge to cross the river and then travel south to Joseph’s campsite before dark. Be off with you.”

  Rebecca realized that Blacky had jumped up onto a fallen tree and was now at eye level with her. She stepped up to the cat and looked him in the eyes. She giggled and said, “Thank you for sleeping with me last night. I was very sad and lonely; your warmth and comfort put my mind at ease.” Rebecca leaned down and kissed Blacky on the forehead. He arched his back and shook his tail in the air, then began purring loudly. Rebecca gave him one last back scratch and then returned her attention to Joseph. She felt a stirring in her heart as she looked into the eyes of this handsome man.

  As Rebecca walked up to Joseph, he smiled and asked, “Are you ready for a hike, Rebecca?” She giggled and slid her hand into his. As they stepped onto the path leading towards the bridge, they both stopped and insured they had a bullet in the chamber of their rifles. The chances of meeting a bear along the edge of the river this time of year was highly probable. As they shouldered their rifles, they began to talk. Not only did they wish to get to know each other a little better, but also talking as they walked alerted the bears of their presence. Seldom did a bear attack a human in these woods. However, startling a bear or getting between a sow and her cubs was not a wise thing to do.

  Once Joseph and Rebecca arrived at Joseph’s campsite, they decided to prepare some food. Joseph had created a cooking area a short distance from where his tent was set up. Joseph had cleaned the fish he had caught earlier and placed them inside a plastic bag. Rebecca got the fire going, which was easy since there were still hot coals down in the ashes. Once the fire was ready, Joseph placed the fish into a skillet with some olive oil and let them cook. Rebecca had some noodles with venison mixed in that she had dried and placed into her backpack earlier. She placed them in a small pan, added some water and set them beside the fire. As the food was cooking, Joseph picked up his saw and began cutting up some dead fallen trees that littered the riverbank. Joseph had two fire pits; one at the cooking area and the other near the sleeping area. Once they ate and cleaned up the dishes, they hung their food bags in a tall tree. Then they began carrying enough wood to the sleeping area to keep the fire burning all night long. They both wanted a fire during the night to keep the things that go bump in the night at bay.

  Once they had the wood and their backpacks in the sleeping area, Rebecca began clearing a spot near Joseph’s tent for her own tent. Joseph walked up and began helping her clear the ground of sticks and things that would puncture a hole in the bottom of her tent. As they worked, Joseph spoke to Rebecca and said, “I realize we are practically strangers, but for safety sake, it would be best if you joined me in my tent. That way if we have visitors during the night, we can take turns staying awake. That way we both could get some sleep.” Rebecca stopped working and stepped up close to Joseph. She looked him in the eyes and asked, “Are you married, Joseph?” He looked her in the eyes and said, “Not married and I never have been. I want you to understand, that I was not suggesting that we have sex, I was simply stating that safety is an issue here in the forest after dark.” Rebecca giggled over his frankness and then said, “I will join you for the night. I am certain you will not attempt to rape me. What concerns me is that I will keep you awake. You should know in advance that I have very vivid dreams and sometime wake up screaming. I was burned in a fire and the memories of that event often wake me in the form of nightmares.” Joseph slowly reached up and ran his finger over the scars on Rebecca’s face. As he did so, Rebecca looked him in the eyes and said, “Pretty ugly aren’t they?” Joseph moved his fingers down under Rebecca’s chin and gently pushed up so her eyes were again looking into his. Then he said, “I cannot imagine ho
w much misery you suffered as you healed from your injuries, but I want you to understand that scars on the surface of ones face do not change the warmth and love one feels in their heart. You are beautiful to me and I hope you never again speak the word ugly when referring to yourself.”

  Rebecca had to turn away from Joseph. She did not want him to see her tears, her inability to deal with her emotions. As she walked away, Joseph said, “While you settle your emotions, I will put your sleeping bag inside my tent. I think you need a friend close by in case your nightmares come to visit.” Rebecca turned around and faced Joseph. Then she wiped her eyes with her fingers and said, “Thank you, friend.”

  Once they had moved everything from their backpacks into the tent, Joseph said, “I need to use my toothbrush before I go to bed. It is in my food bag. I have an extra if you need one.” Rebecca giggled and said, “I have one in my food bag, also. I will walk with you back to the cooking area.” As they finished getting ready for bed, they each secured their rifles along the outside of the tent beside their sleeping bags, and then snuggled down inside and zipped up the bags. Rebecca rolled over on her side so she was facing Joseph and said, “Thank you for allowing me to join you tonight. I will sleep much better knowing you are nearby. Last night I slept with the black cat you saw me with and that gave me some comfort.” Joseph rolled over, faced Rebecca and said, “I hope you sleep well tonight.” Then he leaned over and placed a kiss on her lips. Rebecca kissed back and placed her hand behind his neck. When they separated, Rebecca giggled and said, “You are a good kisser. I think I will enjoy your company as we hike back towards the city.”

  As they both rolled over on their backs and tried to get some sleep, Rebecca could not settle down. She finally said, “Are you asleep?” Joseph laughed and said, “Not anymore.” Rebecca giggled and said, “Sorry to wake you, but I am not at all tired.” Joseph picked up the conversation and began asking Rebecca about her past life, trying to find out as much about the incredible woman in the sleeping bag next to him as possible.